Buttonhole cutting and stitching machine.



, PATENTED JULY 28. 1903.

B. ALLEN. BUTTONHOLE CUTTING AND STITGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STAT-Es Patented July 28, 1903. PAT NT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. ALLEN, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGERMANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTONHOLE CUTTING AND STITCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 734,495, dated July28,1903.

- Application filed May 8, 1902. Serial No. 106,451. (No model.)

Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ButtonholeCutting and Stitching Machines, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying'drawings.

In stitching buttonholes on automatic buttonhole-machines one of thestitching-threads sometimes breaks or gives out before a but- I thebuttonholes either before or after'the stitching operation, and theautomaticopera tion of the cutter as these machines are usuallyorganized must necessarily occur at each cycle of operations necessaryfor making each complete buttonhole, and in restitching a but; tonholethe additional unnecessary cutting stroke of the cutter isobjectionable, and particularly so in machines in which the buttonholesare out after being stitched, for the reason that as the buttonholes arenot spread for the stitching operations in these machines it isdifficult, if not impossible, to make a nice buttonhole after the workis out. Also in machines in which the buttonholes are out before beingstitched a second operation of the cutter is more or less objectionable,as the second cut may not register exactly with the first cut.

This invention has for its object to avoid the objections arising froman unnecessary stroke of an automatic cutter of a buttonhole-stitchingmachine by providing means whereby the attendant may man-uallytemporarily disconnect the automatically-operated buttonhole cutter fromits actuating mechanism when desired, eitherv while the machine isrunning or when it is at rest.

In the accompanyingdrawings,Figure 1 is a side view, partly broken out,of an automatic buttonholemachine embodying the invention; and Fig. 2 isa detail view showing the cutter-bar uncoupled from its operating device.

i The buttonhole-machine herein shown is essentially the same inv itsgeneral construc= tion and operation asthemachine fully shown anddescribed in myUnited States application filed September 16, 1901,Serial No.

75,667.. The said machine comprises a vertically-movable cutter-bar 139,mounted in the head of the machine and with which the buttonhole-cutter1 37 is suitably connected, said cutter-bar being in the said machineoperated to perform its cutting stroke at the completion of a buttonholefrom a cam-groove 142 in a cam-cylinder 143 through a lever 141,connected by a link 140 to a collar 144, encircling the said cutterbar.In the present instance the cutter-bar is slotted orrecessed for thereception of a coupling-lever 12, pivoted to the said cutter-bar, andthe lower arm of which lever is forked or provided with jaws 13, em-

bracing the collar 144,'said lever being normally held in the coupledposition (shown in Fig. 1) by a spring 14, housed within the saidcutter-bar and bearing against said lower arm of said lever. To theinside of the face-plate is attached a spring 15, provided at or nearits free lower end with a push-button 16 and with an inwardly-projectinglip 17, registering with a notch 18, formed near' the upper end of thecoupling-lever 12, so that by pressin in the said push-bu tton theattendant can force the said coupling-lever to the position shown inFig. 2, so as to move the lowermost jaw 13 within the cutter-bar,thereby uncoupling said collar 144 from said bar in such a manner as topermit said collar to move downward from the position shown in Fig. 2without moving the cutter-bar downward. f

The operation of the invention'is as follows: Should one of thestitching-threads break or give out while a buttonhole is being worked,this fact will be immediately apparent to an observing attendant, whoinstead of stopping the machine immediately will preferably. let I ningof the machine would, however, norinally'include an automatic cuttingstroke of the buttonhole-cutter, which in the case of a non-formation ofstitches, owing to a broken or exhausted thread, would be objectionable.To prevent such cutting stroke, the attendant presses in the push-buttonl6 and holds the same pushed in until the machine is au' tomaticallystopped, and thus when the cuttenoperating lever 141 is given its strokeby its actuating-cam it operates idly, owing to the fact that it isdisconnected from the cutter-bar. When the collar 144 is uncoupled fromthe cutter-bar 139, said bar is held up by the lip 17 entering the notch18 in the lever 12 while the attendant holds the parts uncoupled, andwhen the attendantreleases the said push-button the springs 14: and 15restore the parts to their normal positions.

The mechanism for actuating the cutteroperating cam at proper intervalsin the buttonhole-stitching operations is fully shown and described inmy application Serial No. 75,667, hereinbefore referred to, and as saidmechanism forms no part of the present invention it need not be hereinfurther mentioned. The present invention is not, however, to beunderstood as being limited to any particular style of automaticbuttonhole cutting and stitching machine or to the details herein shownand described, as the details of the invention may obviously be variedwidely without departing from the spirit or essence thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. Inabuttonholecuttingandstitchingmachine, thecombination with an automatic buttonhole-cutter, of a coupling devicenormally connecting said cutter with its operating mechanism, and means,controlled by the attendant, whereby the said cutter may be disconnectedfrom its operating mechanism either when the machine is running or whenit is at rest.

2. Ina buttonhole cuttingand stitching machine, the combination with anautomatic buttonhole-cutter, of a spring-held coupling device normallyconnecting said cutter with its operating mechanism, and uncouplingmeans, controlled by the attendant, whereby the said spring-heldcoupling device may be forced to a position to disconnect the saidcutter from its operating mechanism, when desired.

3. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination withan automatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism comprising a cutter-bar, of acoupling device mounted on said bar and normally connecting the latterto an operating part, and a manual device controlling said couplingdevice and by means of which the attendant may disconnect saidcutter-bar from its operating mechanism, when desired.

4. Inabuttonholecuttingandstitchingmachine, the combination with anautomatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism comprising a cutter-bar, of aspring-held coupling device mounted on said bar and normally connect ingthe latter to an operating part, and a manual device controlling saidcoupling device and by means of which the attendant may disconnect saidcutter-bar from its operating mechanism, when desired.

5. In abuttonhole cuttingand stitching machine, the combination with anautomatic buttonhole-cutting mechanism comprising a cutter-bar, of aspring-held coupling device mounted on said bar and normally connectingthe latter to an operating part, and a spring-restored manual devicecontrolling said coupling device and by means of which the attendantmaydisconnect'said cutter-bar from its operating mechanism, whendesired.

6. Inabuttonholecuttingandstitchingmachine, the combination with acutter-bar and cutter and their operating mechanism, of a coupling-levermounted in said cutter-bar and normally connecting said bar to anoperating part, and a manual device mounted on a stationaryrpart of themachine and by means of which the attendant can control the saidcoupling-lever so as to disconnect the said cutter-bar from itsoperating mechanism when desired.

7. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination With acutter-bar and cutter and their operating mechanism, of a spring-heldcoupling-lever mounted in said cutter-bar and normally connecting saidbar to an operating part, and a manual device mounted on a stationarypart of the machine and by means of which the attendant can control thesaid coupling-lever so as to disconnect the said cutter-bar from itsoperating mechanism, when desired.

8. In abuttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination with acutter-bar mounted, for vertical reciprocation, in the head of themachine, a cutter operatively connected with said bar, an operating-cam,

a collar encircling said cutter-bar, an actuating-leveroperativelyconnected with said cam and collar, a springheld coupling-lever mountedin said cutter-bar and having jaws embracing said collar, and a manualdevice, controlled by the attendant, for moving said coupling-lever todisconnect said jaws from said collar, when desired.

9. In a buttonhole cutting and stitching machine, the combination with acutter-bar, of a periodically-rotated cam which is normally rotated onceduring the stitching of each buttonhole, a cutter-lever operated by saidcan],

of a periodically-rotated cam which is normally rotated once during thestitching of each buttonhole, a cutter-lever operated by said cam, meansfor connecting said lever with the said cutter-bar, said meanscomprising a spring-held coupling device or lever which is normally inposition to complete the connection of the said cutter-lever with saidcutterbar, and a manual device controlling said coupling device and bymeans of which the attendant may disconnect said cntterbar from itsoperating-lever, when desired, said manual device being constructed toserve as a detent to hold the cutter-bar elevated when disconnected fromits operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD B. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER, HENRY A. KORNEMANN.

